Las Vegas Starbucks at Tenaya Way and Azure Drive push for union

Another Starbucks location in the Las Vegas Valley announced plans to unionize, a sign that the union push seen among Starbucks workers in other states appears to be gaining momentum in Nevada.

Workers at the location on Tenaya Way and Azure Drive said they plan to unionize with Starbucks Workers United, and filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board.

Employees said they are organizing because of an unstable work environment and feel that “profits have become more important than the values Starbucks promotes,” according to the news release.

“The Tenaya and Azure partners are so excited to lead our store and finally have our voices heard by Starbucks,” said Kylie Novick, an organizer and two year partner at the store, in a statement. “We stand proudly with the many other stores across the nation in demanding real, effective change. Unionizing our store has already brought our staff together in a way we’ve never seen before and we can’t wait to see the positive impact this will have on our community.”

The City of Lost Wages no more — Starbucks workers at the Starbucks Tenaya and Azure location are officially filing for a union election! pic.twitter.com/pCF2n0CuTM

— Starbucks Workers United (@SBWorkersUnited) January 26, 2023

Starbucks didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

“When the baristas are not adequately supported or staffed, we cannot go above and beyond for our customers like we want to. We cannot meet the high demands put on us without changes that include our voices,” according to a letter submitted to Starbucks Interim CEO Howard Schultz.

Starbucks Workers United partner organizer Naomi Martinez said out of the location’s 25 employees, 15 have joined the unionization effort.

This is the second Starbucks in Las Vegas that filed a petition with the NLRB. In December, workers at the Starbucks on Rainbow and Oakey boulevards won a union vote, joining Starbucks Workers United.

Since December 2021, 358 Starbucks stores have petitioned the NLRB to hold union elections. employees have voted to unionize at 274 stores, or 3 percent of Starbucks’ 9,000 company-owned U.S. locations, according to the labor board. Sixty-three stores have voted not to unionize.

Contact Sean Hemmersmeier at shemmersmeier@reviewjournal.com. Follow @seanhemmers34 on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.